I am intrigued by the portrayal of HIV/AIDS throughout the movie Rent. In my opinion, the movie’s portrayal of HIV/AIDS does a great deal to “humanize” the disease. In most cases, characters are introduced in significant context before the audience becomes aware of a character’s diagnosis. In this way, the audience develops a more complex view of the character rather than defaulting to common stereotypes. As a viewer, I was initially drawn to Angel’s character through his care for Collins in the street. I knew nothing of Angel other than his willingness to help a man in need. It is only after this initial scene that Angel casually mentioned the meeting he would be attending. A meeting for, as he put it, “people with HIV. People like me.” To this, Collins acknowledged that this group included “people like” him as well. Even at this point, however, no great emphasis is placed on the disease. Without the application of metaphors, HIV/AIDS is simply that, a disease, and not a means of defining a person.
By following Angel’s role throughout the movie, I developed a far more complete view of her character. A scene that particularly struck me was that of Angel’s friends at her funeral. The tributes given by Angel’s friends spoke volumes about her character. Angel appears here as the focal point of the friend group, the one person that ties all the friends together. Furthermore, at this point in the movie, the relationship between Angel and Collins was the only one defined purely by love, void of deception. The other characters long for this love yet appear to be far from attaining it. Following Angel’s death, Roger returns to NYU, and Mimi nearly dies of heroine withdrawals. This division within the group furthers the idea of Angel having been its focal point. By the end of the movie, the group of friends finally appreciates the significance of their connections with one another when Mimi mysteriously comes back from the dead and references her encounter with none other than…Angel.
I found that the movie did a great deal to humanize, or lessen the implications of the commonly accepted cultural stereotypes associated with, the people infected with HIV/AIDS. A counter argument could also be made, however, that this romanticism of the movie is unfounded or goes too far. How do you feel about the portrayal of the disease throughout the movie? Or perhaps in the case of one specific character?
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After watching the movie “Rent” and doing some of the preliminary research for our upcoming Interpreting Illness Essay, I have found that my perceptions of HIV/AIDS and the Gay culture in America greatly changed. Prior to encountering these primary sources, my knowledge on the topic was rather elementary and I came to realize that I was ignorant in my own understanding of the epidemic. The causes of AIDS, its exponential growth, the lives it has taken, and universal lack of care for the damage it is committing, warrants serious, direct, and immediate attention to the pandemic. Thus to begin to answer your question as to whether or not the romanticism in “Rent” is unfounded or goes to far, my simple answer is that I think I does neither. While “Rent” is a fantastical production highlighting the culture of those infected with AIDS, I think that it could have been more effective in inciting societal awareness had it taken a more serious plot approach. In my opinion, the play does and excellent job of downplaying the mysticism surrounding the disease, and it effectively brought a humanizing aura to an otherwise cold and chilling topic, but had it presented it how it really is it could have been more powerful.
At the on set of the new “Black Death,” New York City was the most highly infected location in the U.S. As a result of this, there is a lot of history and literature that I came across in my own research. Had the producers of rent incorporated some of this in to the production, I think that they would have been able to extend the grasp and create a greater awareness for AIDS. In my research it said that the most effective way to combat this pandemic is to focus the political and social spotlight on the issue. Had rent humanized AIDS slightly more and portrayed more as it really is, I think the play could have been more effective.
Every so often there comes a movie that has the potential to shake up a culture. I believe Rent is one of those movies. I think Rent does a very good job of humanizing the HIV/AIDS virus into nothing more then what it really is, a virus. Rent does a great job of building strong, complex characters with many traits and features. With such complex characters HIV/AIDS is put in the background of ones mind when thinking of a character. For example when I think of Angel, I think of a loving, energetic and compassionate individuals who happens to have HIV/AIDS. I do not think of her as a person with HIV/AIDS who happens to be loving, energetic an compassionate.
The way that Rent sets up its characters is really amazing and gutsy. By not making there illness the forefront of the story really humanizes the virus and makes Rent a movie worthy of changing our views on HIV/AIDS
“Rent” does do a very good job of introducing characters first and emphasizing the disease later, however the emphasis is totally changed during the movie to show the disease affecting each character and not really the character anymore. The beginning of the movie does a lot to humanize AIDS, the end however is very focused on the disease and its implications. When Angel dies, we see her in the hospital suffering; there aren’t any words shared and she is only seen in bed, shaking, dying, with Collins by her side. She is no longer the character that was introduced to us in the alley of the city, but she is now a victim of her disease, consumed by it and unable to be herself any longer.
The cultural impact of this movie could have been, as I believe, so much greater if the disease was not so romanticized and dramatized. Especially in the ending scene when Mimi is dying, dead, from heroine withdraws, she comes back to life because she saw Angel (as in an angel from heaven, foreshadowing..?).
Overall I think that “Rent” did a good job of showing the human aspect of AIDS and not just its cultural implications that are oftentimes seen. The characters had just that, character, even though they suffered from a terrible disease. Certain aspects may have lost humanization and went a little overboard with the dramatic side of disease and dying and the bohemian lifestyle, but the movie was very enjoyable and seemed to say a lot about how we now and how we should view AIDS and disease.
I strongly agree that the portrayal of HIV and AIDS throughout Rent does an excellent job of humanizing the disease. Throughout the movie, AIDS was represented not as something that dominates, takes over, and depresses one's life, but rather, as something one must deal with, become accustomed to, and live/work around.
I also thought that the music aspect of the movie played a large part in the disease's portrayal. The characters' constant singing, which was a pleasure to hear, catered to the hopeful spirit that the movie encompassed. The fact that Rent is a musical, largely contributes to the humanizing of AIDS.
As a main focus of Rent was living with AIDS, I felt that Mimi's experience with heroin addiction (and withdrawal) served in part to emphasize the main focus; life with AIDS. The horror and misery caused by drugs that almost resulted in Mimi's death, contrasted the experience of living with AIDS. Those who had the disease did not experience such pain and suffering. It seemed that the point was, that other issues can be far more difficult and disturbing than simply living with AIDS, which wasn't even that uncommon in the movie's setting.
It can be said that Rent "under-exaggerates" AIDS. It seems, at times, that some characters aren't even disturbed by having the disease. Of course in reality, most people would probably have somewhat of a hard time living with AIDS. However, this "under-exaggeration" gets the point across well-that is, that AIDS does not dominate one's life and experiences. Thus, I do not think the romanticizing of the disease goes too far. In fact, I even think it is necessary for Rent to have the effect it does. It is not only in movies, but also in real life, that issues sometimes require exaggeration in order to convey a point or purpose.
I thought that the musical Rent did a good job portraying and humanizing HIV/AIDS. It showed me that living with the disease isn’t as bad as I though it to be. All the characters formed a community together and helped each other through troubled times. We get to know how the characters deal with this disease, but at the same time, we see how it doesn’t affect everyday life. Living with HIV/AIDS is the same as living with any other disease. Any disease causes some sort of suffering and hardship that can lead to death.
One particular part of the musical that I though most humanized the characters was during rehab. In these scenes, we get to see who the characters really are. During rehab was the first time Angel took off her wig. Also, the patients all sing together as in a whole different type of community. This is when we learn their fears, hopes, and the uncertainty of this disease. There is a special bonding between the characters in rehab and we see just how they rely on their friends for help and comfort.
I agree that RENT humanizes HIV/AIDES. However, by doing this it ties the disease to the people that carry it, making it far more than just the biological facts. I think that this does no favors for HIV awareness or the people that have the illness. Here are these sick people dancing and singing and living an offbeat lifestyle. It is not very realistic. I feel it does romanticize a very painful and serious disease. RENT, often applauded for its non-use of stereotypes, itself falls victim to stereotyping. Although there is racial and sexual orientation diversity, all of the characters that are seen in a positive light live in Bohemia. The outside mainstream world is shunned. The fact is that AIDS doesn’t just affect the poor in New York City. Its reach is far greater.
I found it interesting that the one character that did leave the group and opted for a life with a job and a steady paycheck was vilified. He is seen as betraying his friends, selling out and distracting Mimi from her love for Rodger. RENT shows these awesome and complex characters living despite their disease. Is that really fair though? A more true portrayal would be to show people living with the disease. I realize that RENT is a musical, but a stronger approach would have been show the illness as it is, the cold hard facts. I can guarantee it wouldn’t be as entertaining, but maybe it would have had a more positive message and start to separate the disease from those who happen to contract HIV/AIDS. Illness is a tough topic and I don’t think that dealing with it in a musical is truthful. Perhaps the medium is far reaching and its chords deeply emotional, but that does not mean that truthfulness follows.
AIDS/HIV is portrayed as a disease that gradually erodes the body, and can possibly erode the spirit-- but only if one allows it to. The four characters living with he disease: Mimi, Roger, Angel, and Collins, seem to be aware of the stigma surrounding it. For example, during the initial AIDS support group scenes, the people stand and sing "Will I lose my dignity?" Since AIDS/HIV is endorsed as an infliction for the inferior--i.e. the impoverished, homosexuals, minorities-- to have the virus is to be treated with less respect. However, in Rent, even though the character's struggle with their health, they refuse to let it define them. Dying from AIDS is inevitable, illustrated during another support group scene in which one by one the characters disappear symbolizing their death. But regardless of the circumstances of one's life, in the end all face the same fate--death. Therefore, the characters choose to celebrate life, shrugging off the burden society has tried to weigh them with in dance and song. "There's only us. There's only this. No day but today", they sing, emphasizing the need for community and love. Rent humanizes those living with AIDS/HIV, when all too often people are demonized. What Rent fails too accomplish though, is a realistic portrayal of the pain and discomfort sufferers can feel in favor of a feel good movie.
For the most part, I find Rent to be enjoyable for it almost shelters the viewer from the gruesome reality of living with AIDS. The lyrics of the songs depict each character as a starving artist who merely attempts to survive in the slums of New York City. Only one character died within the timeline of the movie, Angel. Even with her death, the audience didn’t witness the progressive degeneration of the body, although it was alluded to on occasion. Mimi, on the other hand is portrayed with her sufferings from the disease or drugs, the source is unknown. We witness Mimi reach near death, but even that is romanticized. Rent does attempt to portray the hardships of living with AIDS, but it dwindles on the glamorous side of the disease, if that is possible.
I agree that the movie did a great deal to not define a character by HIV/AIDS. The emphasis seemed to be placed on the characters' actions, accomplishments, and relationships rather than on their disease. We found out in a very causal way that four characters had HIV/AIDS. With Roger and Mimi, his beeper reminding him to take his treatment revealed that both characters were HIV positive. The reveal unfolded similarly with Angel and Collins. Throughout the movie, the characters were shown living life and not living a life hindered and defined by this disease that they have. The only physical effects we see as a result of HIV/AIDS come when Angel is in the hospital. It seems that the negative associations that AIDS comes with, the feelings of guilt, the shame, as well as the manner of infection were not shown and therefore are forgotten about. I think this lack of realism however might portray to an audience that doesn't know much about the disease an unrealistic view of what it is to live with the disease.
Sontag’s essays have done a lot to explain the metaphors of illness throughout history. She describes how society has projected values onto specific sicknesses. Tuberculosis was once a disease associated with the poor but then advanced in the eyes of the public to a disease connected to emotional repression. It became glorified and even acceptable. With the progress of medicine, Tuberculosis has become a disease of the past. In order to abide by the rule that “societies need to have one illness which becomes identified with evil” (Sontag, p104), HIV/AIDS surfaced. It haunts the masses and infects those who participate in deviant behavior.
AIDS quickly became extremely stigmatized. It was only considered to be a homosexual disease “as if Africa didn’t exist” (Sontag p114). Sontag goes on to tell what exactly—scientifically—HIV is. She strips the disease of all social connotations through science.
Rent reaches for that same objective that Sontag achieves, not through science, but with emotion. Four characters have HIV/AIDS. Of them, three fit the stereotypes. Angel and Collins are gay and Mimi is a heroine user. Rodger breaks this mold. The movie never shows that Rodger did heroine. It leaves it open to believe that he contracted the disease from his girlfriend whom he loved.
AIDS is a disease. It is not the death sentence that it once was. It does not demonstrate that the person infected is morally corrupt or evil. Hitler didn’t have AIDS… In Rent, Angel can be considered one of the most benevolent characters (giving money to Rodger and Mark when she doesn’t even know them, and providing emotional support to others) yet she is the one who loses her life in the story.
AIDS is not a lower class disease and it is no longer a disease passed through crooked social activities. People have contracted HIV from blood transfusion, monogamous relationships, and are even born with it. Rent pushes the envelope and demonstrates that the disease is not the stigmatized atrocity that society likes to paint it. HIV is an infection that has no cure that has to be fought.
Thinking back on it, I don’t believe I really got a grasp of what HIV/AIDS was until, I would say, I took my health class in middle school. My mom had previously mentioned it to me when I was younger, but thinking the time was too early, my mom never really went into depth about it. Really, it was presented to me as any other kind of illness, an infection that could be prevented.
Later as I grew up and was able to make connections and imply things on my own I started to associate AIDS with certain individuals. Connecting AIDS with sexual contact was harped on me all through my middle school and high school health classes. Now I know however that a good portion of individuals who have AIDS conceived the virus through needles by using drugs. By sharing needles the virus spread with little problems. This way of spreading the virus was really demonstrated in the movie Rent, with at least a couple characters that had been infected by using heroin and sharing needles. So, in a way, I suppose I still associate HIV/AIDS with these kinds of individuals.
But it is this kind of thinking that Susan Sontag is trying to change. Her book has given me a fresh look on how to perceive these individuals, not to make a general consensus about all of them. Her point is that these illnesses are not metaphors; we cannot generalize a specific disease with specific people. The same way I cannot generalize people with AIDS as being sexually careless, doped up people. The illness is just that, a disease. Anyone can get it if they are not careful. It is this point of not generalizing people with illnesses that Sontag really got me to start thinking about.
Rent does a fine job at portraying the issue of HIV/AIDS throughout the entire movie. Different than most movies covering the disease, Rent puts a positive spin on the issue. For example, during the first half of the movie, you as viewer can see the fun, close nit community these down and out New Yorkers have created for themselves despite being infected with the HIV virus. At certain times in the movie, I completely forgot about the primary problem in the movie, only to be reminded as several of the characters began to burst out into harmony about the virus. A perfect example of this reminder can be shown in one scene where Roger is afraid to get close to Mimi due to the fact that he has contracted HIV. After a very romantic scene (light my candle), Roger confronts his past and reveals to the audience his old drug habits that caused him to contract HIV (glory). A major shock, Roger also reveals how his old relationship was destroyed due to the virus.
By switching the tempo, Rent truly does a good job at portraying the issue of HIV/AIDS. From negative to positive, Rent’s message on HIV changes but still touches on the audience’s emotions. This is why Rent is such a unique film. It has the ability to discuss AIDS/HIV in both positive and negative situations. Whether it is Roger angrily venting on a rooftop or the whole crew bonding during a HIV/AIDS concealing session, Rent’s understanding of how to portray HIV/AIDS is very interesting and extremely effective.
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